Top Prospect Alert Archive
11-25-2006 to 12-3-2006
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One of the final additions to the Chicago Cubs 40 Man Roster this winter was reliever Clay Rapada. The 25 year old is a career Cub who was undrafted and debuted as a pro in 2002. This past season Rapada broke out in a big way. He began 2006 at Double-A West Tennessee where he went 3-2 with 21 saves, a 0.82, and 45 strikeouts in 43.2 innings with the Diamondjaxx. Rapada was rewarded with a late season promotion to Triple-A Iowa where he posted a 3-2 record with a 3.04 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 23.2 innings of middle relief and setup work. Combined the lefthander managed to give up just one homerun in 66 innings of work, and held opposing hitters to a .235 batting average. Look for Rapada to contend for a spot in the Cubs bullpen during spring training, and likely be with the club at some point in the 2007 season, should he not break camp with the major league team.

Oakland A's outfield prospect Chad Boyd seems to have turned a corner in his career. The 21 year old who was a ninth round pick back in 2004 had been a lifetime .258 hitter prior to this past season, and he was out of action until the all-star break with a knee injury. The past struggles and injury did not deter Boyd from having a banner season during the second half of 2006 at Kane County. In 64 games, the Los Angeles native batted .346 with 27 doubles, 2 homeruns and 37 rbi's while striking out just 24 times in 257 at-bats. Expect the left handed hitting Boyd to begin 2007 at High-A Stockton.

2006 was another year and another solid season for Houston Astros pitching prospect Troy Patton. The 9th round pick in the 2004 draft out of a Texas high school, reached Double-A for the first time at age 20. Combined between High-A Salem & Double-A Corpus Christi, Patton, a hard throwing lefty, went 9-12 with a 3.37 ERA in 146.2 innings of work. The finished the year with a combined 139 strikeouts. After dominating at Salem, Patton did struggle a bit with Texas League hitters after being promoted, posting a 2-5 mark with a 4.37 ERA in his final 45.1 innings of the season. Patton pitched in the Arizona Fall League following the minor league season, and went 2-0 with 4.80 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 15.0 innings of work all coming out of the bullpen. Expect Patton to begin 2007 back in Corpus Christi with a chance at a mid-season promotion to Triple-A Round Rock with a solid first half.

The 67th overall pick in the 2001 MLB Draft, out of a Tulsa, Oklahoma high school, Mike Wilson has taken the long road through the Seattle Mariners system. However now, at age 23, fifth season of professional baseball, Wilson had the breakout 2006 he needed to put himself back on the prospect map. In a season split between High-A Inland Empire and Double-A San Antonio, Wilson batted a combined .276 with 21 homeruns and 88 rbi's. While his power numbers are impressive (Wilson hit 19 homeruns in 2005), his strikeout numbers continue to be a major problem. He struck out 144 times in 449 at-bats in 2006, which was way up from his 2005 total. Wilson posted an average at best performance in the Arizona Fall League batting .243 with 3 homeruns and 19 rbi's in 20 games. Expect Wilson, who made Seattle's 40 man roster, to begin 2007 back in Double-A where he will continue to work on improving his power and discipline at the plate.

In a Texas Rangers organization filled with pitching prospects, Steve Murphy is a hitter to keep an eye on. The 22 year old Kansas State Products was the Player of the Year in the Northwest League in 2005 and followed that up with a solid performance in the California League this past season. The left-handed hitting outfielder was the 429th overall pick in the 2005 draft. In his pro debut Murphy batted .306 with 9 homeruns 37 rbi's at short season Spokane. After skipping past Low-A, Murphy was very solid against the more advanced High-A pitching in 2006. He batted .283 with 19 homeruns and 68 rbi's in 116 games at Bakersfield. Murphy does stikeout fairly often and rarely draws a walk, only 31 in just over 500 plate appearances. Look for Murphy to begin the 2007 season at Double-A Tulsa, and possibly earn a late call-up to Triple-A Oklahoma City with a strong season.

This past spring, Tim Lincecum became a sensation his during his junior season at the University of Washington. He went 12-4 with a 1.95 ERA and struck out a Pac-10 record 199 batters in 125.2 innings. For his effort, Lincecum was named the Pitcher of the Year in the Pac-10 for the second time in three years, and selected by the San Francisco Giants as the 10th overall pick in the 2006 MLB June Draft. Lincecum immediately turned pro and continued his domination of hitters. After a four shutout inning warm-up at Salem Keizer, the Giants moved the 22 year old straight to High-A San Jose. In 27.2 innings, Lincecum went 2-0 with a 1.95 ERA and added 48 strikeouts while holding opposing hitters to a .135 batting average. Expect the Giants to bump Lincecum to Double-A Connecticut to begin 2007, and with minor league success there is a fairly high likelihood he could be pitching at AT&T Park by seasons end.

Houston Astros outfield prospect Eli Iorg has baseball in his blood. Iorg's father Garth had a near decade long big league career with Toronto Blue Jays. Uncle Dane spent much of the early eighties as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. Eli is now looking to continue the family legacy. Iorg was drafted as the 38th overall pick in the 2005 draft out of the University of Tennessee where he was a second team All-American his senior year. Iorg got off to a nice start in his pro debut at Rookie League Greeneville where he batted .333 with 7 homeruns and 34 rbi's in 35 games. In 2006, a move up to the South Atlantic League proved to be a bit more challenge for Iorg who batted .256 with 15 homeruns, 85 rbi's, and stole 42 bases in 125 games. While the drop in average is a bit discouraging, continued power development, and the great speed Iorg possesses make him a player to watch in 2007. Expect the 24 year old to begin the season at High-A Salem, and likely wind up at Double-A Corpus Christi by the end of the year.

Acquired by the New York Yankees from the Detroit Tigers as part of the Gary Sheffield trade, Kevin Whelan is an emerging relief prospect in baseball. The 23 year old righthander was a fourth round pick of the Tigers back in 2005 out of Texas A&M. Since turning pro, Whelan has dominated the lower levels of the minors. In his pro debut in 2005 Whelan went 1-1 with 15 saves, 41 strikeouts, and a 1.48 ERA in 24 innings between Short-A Oneonta and Low-A West Michigan. Opposing batters hit a ridiculously low .075 against Whelan on the year. He followed that up with an outstanding sophomore campaign in 2006 going 4-1 with 27 saves, 69 strikeouts, and a 2.67 ERA in 54 innings at High-A Lakeland. Whelan allowed just one homerun and held opposing hitters to a .178 batting average. While Humberto Sanchez got much of the press at the time of the trade, Whelan has the opportunity to make a name for himself in New York. Expect Whelan to begin 2007 at Double-A Trenton, and do not be surprised if he is in Pinstripes by the end of the season.

Signed by the Colorado Rockies as a 16 year old out of Panama in 1999, Manny Corpas began a what would be a long journey to the major leagues. Since debuting in the states in 2002, Corpas had been an average middle relief pitcher, with a carrer ERA well over 4.00, and had not cracked Double-A as the end of 2005. This past season however, Corpas became the closer for Double-A Tulsa, and put up one of the best seasons for a closer in all of minor league baseball. In 45.1 innings combined between Tulsa, and a brief stint at Triple-A Colorado Springs, Corpas went 2-1 with 19 saves, a 0.99 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 45.1 innings of work. Opposing batters hit just .175 against Corpas in the minors. The 23 year old was rewarded for his efforts with a midseason call-up to Colorado. In 35 major league appearances, Corpas went 1-2 with a 3.62 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 32.1 innings. Look for Corpas to begin spring training with a great chance to stay on the major league roster. He also could have a chance to pick up a save or two during the season should Brian Fuentes go down with an injury.